CARICOM FaN Project Yielding Dividends In Trelawny

For nearly 200 years, farmlands within 15 miles of the Long Pond Sugar Factory in Clarks Town, Trelawny, were dedicated to cane cultivation.

Since the decline in the factory’s fortunes, farmers and their families in the neighbouring districts of Crawle, Georgia, Hyde Park, Parnassus, Swanswick, and Jackson Town have been seeking alternative livelihoods, particularly against the background of the emergence of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the ensuing pandemic.

The small secluded district of Kinloss, situated five kilometres south west of Clarkes Town, is no different.

Former sugar cane farmers there have gone into animal husbandry and other economic pursuits.

They have, however, found additional support through the Caribbean Community and Common Market’s Food and Nutrition (CARICOM FaN) Project.

The initiative facilitates funding for engagements designed to generate employment and food security in developing regions like the Caribbean.

It also focuses on addressing the growing number of persons in CARICOM states living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as diabetes and hypertension, and increased cases of childhood obesity. This, by improving household nutritional security and public health in general.

Focus, to this end, is placed on investigating and influencing national food systems across CARICOM.

The project, which has been underpinned by grant aid provided through the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) since 2018, is being undertaken in Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Nine farming families in Kinloss have seen significant improvement in their income and nutrition since the project’s rollout in the community in June.

Kinloss is one of 10 communities islandwide where the initiative is being undertaken.

A sum of US$7,000 was provided to purchase broilers, chicken feed, medicine, equipment, and building material for the participants in Kinloss.

They established the Kinloss Poultry Farmers’ Co-operative through which they benefit from financial assistance and extension services provided by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA).

RADA Parish Manager for Trelawny, Courtney Taylor, tells JIS News that the project in gaining traction in the community.

 

He says Kinloss was selected through a survey conducted by the University of Technology (UTech) in partnership with the agency.

“A [Memorandum of Understanding] was signed by RADA and UTech, basically, to implement the project,” Mr. Taylor informs.

The beneficiary farmers are required to attend regular meetings and work with RADA extension service officers.

Poultry farmer, Sybil Vincent, who has been rearing broiler chickens for years and has incorporated several family members, is among the project beneficiaries.

She says she is enjoying reasonable success from the project, noting that it has enabled her to become financially independent.

 

Ms. Vincent points out that although she was an established poultry farmer prior to getting involved in the project, the co-operative approach and support from RADA have improved her record-keeping skills, increased her knowledge of chicken rearing, and her general approach to farming.

She says in light of her success, she encourages other persons in the community to get involved in the programme.

Ms. Vincent points out that several challenges encountered, including hikes in production costs and a slump in the market due to the pandemic, have not discouraged her.

“Although it’s rough and tough sometimes… you have to give God thanks for what you have. I would encourage other persons to go and try it and see what difference [in their financial status] they can make out of it,” she says.

Ms. Vincent’s daughter, Kate Ricketts, who was recruited into the programme, is on her sixth batch of broilers.

 

At the outset, Ms. Ricketts, who is a member of the Co-operative, was provided with material to construct a coop to house 50 day-old chicks, and received feed and medicine for the birds.

The single parent of three, who declares that she is still on a “learning curve”, says she is pleased to be empowered to provide for her family and meet her other financial obligations.

Ms. Ricketts, in endorsing the programme, describes it as “a good opportunity”, and advises persons contemplating it that “if you get the help, take it; don’t take it for granted because it helps a lot.”

Ms. Vincent’s sister, Sherine Vincent, who is another programme recruit, shares that she did not make a profit from her initial 50 broilers.

She informs, however, that three batches later, she achieved this milestone, adding that she bolstered her livestock inventory with the acquisition of a pig.

 

 

With the assistance of her grandson, Jay Houston, the mother of five, hopes to expand her holdings to be better able to meet her financial obligations.

She is also aiming to improve the nutritional content of the meals prepared within her household.

Ms. Vincent says that with RADA’s help, her group is seeking to meet market demands, adding that as the tourist industry opens up, the purchasing power of residents of Kinloss and adjoining districts is expected to further improve.